Ford to launch 50 new vehicles in China by 2025

The automaker, now a small player in the world's largest auto market, announced the ambitious plan on Tuesday in Shanghai.

"I do think electric vehicles make sense".

The new models will come from the Ford and Lincoln stables, as well as a new Zotye-Ford joint venture yielding a new "affordable" electric-only brand.

Ford Motor Co. will launch 50 new vehicle models in China by 2050, the USA carmaker said in a statement on its China growth plan Tuesday, after a year of lackluster performance in the world's second-largest economy.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) will launch 50 new vehicles in China by 2025, including 15 electrified vehicles, Peter Fleet, head of Ford Asia Pacific, told a news conference on Tuesday. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news. "The progress we have achieved in China is just the start".

Ford's investment joins the like of General Motors, Daimler and Volkswagen as major manufacturers increasingly look to develop an aggressive electric vehicle strategy in the world's second-largest economy. "Ford's aspiration is to become the world's most trusted mobility company, designing smart vehicles for a smart world".

 Ford says it will assemble five additional vehicles in China for customers there including a Lincoln SUV and Ford's first global all-electric SUV.

The company says by the end of 2019 all Ford and Lincoln vehicles in China will be linked to the Internet via modems or plug-in devices, to increase consumer connectivity. "Producing more vehicles for China locally allows us to improve the benefits for our customers, our partners and our bottom line".

The best current example being the Ford Eco Sport, a sub-compact crossover built in Brazil and India for local markets that fell short of expectations when initially launched in Europe in 2014.